Cornyn and Paxton set for bruising GOP U.S. Senate primary in Texas
Matt Mackowiak, a conservative political consultant and former Travis County Republican Party chairman, expects the race between Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and incumbent Sen. John Cornyn to be the most expensive statewide Republican primary in Texas history.
"I expect this to be one of the nastiest races in Texas political history, perhaps the nastiest in decades," Mackowiak said.
The big question is whether former President Trump will endorse Paxton, with whom he is close.
"The Republican base trusts President Trump. That's the most powerful endorsement we have in our party right now," Mackowiak said.
Paxton's announcement that he was entering the race came after months of speculation. He made it official Tuesday night on Fox News Channel: He wants to unseat the longtime Republican.
Paxton announcement
"I'm announcing I'm running for U.S. Senate against John Cornyn," Paxton said. Along with his announcement, Paxton unveiled a new campaign website. "It's definitely time for a change in Texas. We have another great senator, Ted Cruz, and it's time we have another great senator who will actually stand up and fight for Republican values, the values of the people of Texas and who supports Trump."
Paxton's entrance into the Senate race comes after Cornyn launched his 2026 re-election campaign with a video that emphasizes his support for the president.
Cornyn was first elected in 2002 and is pursuing a fifth term in office.
Cornyn campaign response
In a statement, a Cornyn campaign spokesperson said, "Democrats are trying to destroy President Trump, and he and Texas need a battle-tested conservative who knows how to protect his agenda in the Senate and won't be outsmarted by Chuck Schumer. Ken Paxton is a fraud... He says his impeachment trial was a sham, but he didn't contest the facts in legal filings, which will cost the state millions."
Matt Mackowiak, a conservative political consultant and former Travis County Republican Party chairman, said, "I expect this to be the most expensive statewide Republican primary race in Texas history. I expect this to be one of the nastiest races in Texas political history, perhaps the nastiest in decades."
The big question is whether President Trump will endorse Paxton, with whom he's close.
"The Republican base trusts President Trump. That's the most powerful endorsement we have in our party right now," Mackowiak said.
Democrat loves Paxton challenging Cornyn
The new Texas Democratic Party chairman, Kendall Scudder, told CBS News Texas that he liked the idea of Paxton challenging Cornyn.
"I would really hate to be John Cornyn right now. He is going to have a bloody, bruising primary with Ken Paxton, one of the most overwhelmingly unpopular elected officials in the state of Texas, and I think that we're going to come out of that situation in a really good spot," Scudder said.
Former Dallas Congressman Colin Allred told a crowd of mostly Democrats in North Dallas last week that he's strongly considering running for Senate, after losing to Sen. Cruz last year by nearly nine points.